Joseph Harris, Sex Trafficking, New York 2023

Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 21 Years for Sex Trafficking

In a federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Joseph Harris, also known as “Luis Santana,” and “Joey Moscato,” was sentenced to 21 years in prison for sex trafficking multiple victims by force, fraud, and coercion. Harris, 41, of Brooklyn, was found guilty of using violence and threats of violence, along with abusive and coercive tactics, to compel multiple victims to engage in commercial sex acts for his financial benefit.

The crimes were uncovered when NYPD officers responded to several 911 calls about girls being held at his apartment in Brooklyn. Inside the apartment, the officers found two of the defendant’s adult victims along with a 16-year-old minor female, and recovered a loaded semi-automatic handgun, a birth certificate for a 17-year-old female, hotel receipts, hand-written instructions written by Harris for posting advertisements for commercial sex, and other items.

The investigation revealed that Harris used force and threats to compel his victims to work in prostitution and give him the money that they were paid. He also punished women who withheld money from him and, in at least one dispute over money, dragged a victim through a pool of bleach he had poured on the floor. On another occasion, he menaced a victim at gunpoint and posted a photograph of it on his Instagram account.

Harris had sexual intercourse with his victims, including underage girls as young as 14, and provided them with drugs including ecstasy, cocaine, marijuana, and pills. The defendant used Backpage.com and social media websites to facilitate his business.

The federal prosecution of the defendant was led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI and NYPD’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with substantial assistance from the Kings County District Attorney’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Elbert and Erin Reid are in charge of the prosecution. U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York expressed his appreciation to the Kings County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the investigation.

Joseph Harris, 41, of Brooklyn, has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for sex trafficking. Harris, also known as “Luis Santana,” and “Joey Moscato,” was found guilty of using violence and threats of violence, along with abusive and coercive tactics, to compel multiple victims to engage in commercial sex acts for his financial benefit.

The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit. The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Elbert and Erin Reid.

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